No Such Thing as Evil

Chapter 4

Lisa's body slid from one side of the truck's flatbed to the other. Her raw left side smacked against the protruding metal wheel well. Pain shot across her nerves and pushed her into consciousness. Lying on her stomach, she felt the bumps and vibration. She opened her one good eye but could only make out rough shapes in the darkness.

Her entire body stung with pain, but pain had become such a constant that she no longer cared. She didn't know where she was or what was happening. She wasn't in the room anymore, and that's all that mattered. There was still a spark of fight deep down inside. Nighttime . . . outside . . . traveling. The end of the ride will bring nothing good. Get out of the truck! She assessed her condition. Did she have the strength to get out or even to survive the fall to the ground? She put those thoughts out of her mind, because there was no alternative.

Gripping the metal ridges on the bottom of the flatbed, she dragged herself toward the side of the truck. Her mutilated left side simply dragged behind, but the bumpy road helped lessen the friction, so she made fairly quick progress to the side.

The minor success fueled her strength. She groped over the wheel well for the edge of the truck. With one pull, she hauled her torso up onto the wheel well and immediately felt light-headed. Almost there. Another heave sent her body over the side. Her leg and dislocated arm caught momentarily on the spinning edge of the tire—burning into her flesh and yanking her to the ground. She smacked down, rolled, and came to rest on her back beneath the starry sky.

She lay still as the rumble of the truck became more distant. Finally, surrounded by silence, the peacefulness overwhelmed her. Exhaustion enveloped her very existence, and she slipped out of consciousness.

110 110 110

The guest room of the Richardses' prefab didn't resemble a nursery. Ben had set up the crib, but that was about it. Laura paced in the darkened room with Chris in her arms until she was sure he was asleep. Leaning over the crib, she lay him on his stomach and placed her hand on his back, feeling the patter of his heart.

"You have two parents now," she whispered. "Trust me."

She adjusted the pubcomm settings on the bedroom wall panel so she could monitor Chris from anywhere in the house. No telling how long he would sleep until he was hungry or needed a change. She realized she was starving.

In the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator to peer inside but then closed it. From the pubcomm, she tapped for a vidcomm to the lab. Ben was sitting at his computer console. Trust me, she thought. She watched him tinkering for a moment and then canceled the comm. Opening the freezer, she dug down under layers of plastic-wrapped items. There they are. She pulled out two boxes, unwrapped the contents, and popped them into the microwave.

Meals in hand, Laura rode the elevator to the bottom floor and stepped into the hall leading to the basement lab.

"Feeding time at the zoo," she said when the door opened.

"Thanks," said Ben. "I meant to finish earlier . . . so I could help get him—"

"Save it," she said.

He reached for the plate, but she held it back.

"I thought we could eat together," she said, and then she handed it to him.

"Wow. Chicken potpie? Is it really? Where did you get it?"

"Wasn't easy. I only know one store that carries them. I've had them awhile, waiting for the right time."

"The fat content alone probably violates some kind of federal law," Ben joked. He pulled over a chair, pushed a cardboard box off a second, and wheeled it over too. "You first, my dear."